Marion County RECORD

Richard Riggs of Florence knew he had a leaky roof. He had the materials to put a new metal one on the old two-story house he lives in south of Florence with his wife Raquel.
What Riggs didn’t know was that he wouldn’t be doing the roof himself. A little over a month ago Riggs discovered that he had cancer.

While some questioned his tactics and legitimacy, Sander Sildver of Southwestern Advantage was acting legally within Marion and Peabody city limits after acquiring peddler’s licenses to sell educational books this weekend within city limits.
This is the second year Sildver has been in the area selling supplemental learning books for kids preschool through 12th grade. Residents from Marion, Florence, Peabody, and Hillsboro received visits from Sildver.

The U.S. 56/77 and K-150 roundabout for the dangerous intersection east of Marion remains on track for construction in 2015, with $4.3 million allocated for the project in Kansas Department of Transportation state transportation improvement program (STIP) draft released last week.
The cost estimate includes $422,000 allocated for engineering, right of way, and utilities this year.

Residents wishing to drive their all-terrain-vehicles, golf carts, and other small-motorized vehicles on city streets might get their wish in the next few weeks. Marion City Council and Police Chief Tyler Mermis discussed the possibility of an ordinance that would conditionally allow residents to drive those vehicles into town.
“This is something we’ve had a lot of residents want,” Mermis said. “I feel like we should give residents the opportunity to try and make this work.”

A Santa Fe Trail researcher has identified a second “lost spring” in Marion County that was used by traders on the trail from 1821 to 1866. It is about a mile northeast of the present Lost Spring Station, which is two and a half miles west of Lost Springs. Lost Spring Station is on Cress Creek. The second spring is on Lyon Creek.
Steve Schmidt, president of the Cottonwood Crossing Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association, found old maps and aerial photos.

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute and Traveling Wall honoring Vietnam War veterans will be at Forbes Field/Topeka Regional Airport from 12 p.m. on Aug. 28 to 3 p.m. on Aug. 31.
Marion County service members honored include Robert Boese of Marion, Ronald Schultz of Hillsboro, Leonard Christeson of Durham, and Wesley Sidener of Burns.

All over the Internet lately, videos of people dousing themselves with buckets of ice water have been posted and shared. The stunt is a way to raise money and awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
The disease, for which there is no treatment or cure, is nearly always fatal.

Cynthia Ellis of Florence has struggled with poverty her whole life, but with help from Circles of Marion County she says she’s climbing the ladder to financial freedom.
Ellis joined Circles a year ago after being introduced to the program by a friend. Circles is a social group that works to help residents emerge from poverty by creating relationships, building social capital, and encouragement.

Material from the dying blue-green algae bloom and other sediment is clogging the 12-inch intake pipe that brings water from the reservoir to Marion.
To fix the problem, the city will conduct high-pressure backflow this week that will flush the blockage from the pipe. The blockage should not affect customers, city administrator Roger Holter said.

Florence is looking for a new police chief after Bronson Shipman resigned Aug. 5 to become a corrections officer with the county jail. Shipman had held the position for 10 months.
“It was a shocker,” Florence mayor Mary Shipman said. She is the former chief’s aunt.

St. Luke Hospital received a Level IV Trauma Center designation from Kansas Department of Health and Environment. St. Luke received the distinction through the Kansas Trauma Program, in which participation is optional.
Level IV is the lowest ranking of four trauma level designations. It indicates a rural hospital whose primary role is to stabilize injured patients and transfer them to higher-level facilities if necessary.

The Flint Hills Community Band will perform a free outdoor concert at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Kaw Mission in Council Grove.
The program will include selections by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a Frank Sinatra medley, songs from Paint Your Wagon, and theme songs from Hogan’s Heroes and Secret Agent Man.

Bicyclists looking to explore bike trails across the state can get a new map showing all the trails in the state.
The map includes information on traffic volumes, shoulder widths of highways, bicycle facilities in communities, and safety tips.

Karyn Woodward will teach flower drying from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at Villa on the Prairie in Florence.
Contact Woodward at (620) 878-4600 for more information.

Homestead Senior Residences will mark the completion of renovations to the Marion Atrium building with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday at the complex, 1500 E. Main St.
The apartment community will host an open house following the ceremony, until 6 p.m., and again Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Several new duplexes developed by Homestead at Victory Ln. and Eisenhower Rd. will be open for tours.

Marion residents can expect another mailing from Service Line Warranties bearing the city’s logo in the mail in September.
Last year similar mailings from the company confused residents who thought the city was selling sewer line insurance.

Gladiola Backhus, 94, died Saturday at Twin Oaks Assisted Living in Lansing.
A memorial service was held Wednesday at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Lyons Creek.

Art Jantz, 93, died Monday at Parkside Home in Hillsboro.
Family will receive guests from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Jost Funeral Home in Hillsboro. A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Thursday at First Mennonite Church in Hillsboro.

Former Boeing employee Charles K. “Smitty” Smith, 76, died Aug. 13. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
Born Aug. 25, 1937 to Roy and Freda (Rittgers) Smith at Hillsboro, he served in the U.S. Navy and worked for Boeing Wichita as a transportation driver.

The family of Dale and Betty Johnson are requesting a card shower to celebrate the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Dale and Betty were married on Sept. 3, 1964.

A Kerbs family reunion was held Aug. 10 at the Friendship Center in Salina. A potluck dinner was followed by visiting the water spray park.
Those attending included: Lucille Kerbs of Tampa; Raymond and Molly Deiser, Deloris Kerbs, Ron and Donita Michaelsen, Betty Hayes, and Tim and Marchelle Kerbs, all of Salina; Jeremy, Allison, and Brooklyn Sluder and Connie Thompson of Abilene; Glenn Kerbs of Dodge City; Gloria Wolfe, Shirley Orr, Judy Holeman, Allie and Samantha Holeman, and Reuben II, Christy, Charlotte and R.J. Kerbs of Wichita; Janet and Kevin Pinnegar of Ponca City, Oklahoma; Dayna Croisant of Bellevue, Nebraska; and David Kerbs of Amarillo, Texas.

Ty Simons of Lincolnville, a May graduate of Centre High School, has signed a scholarship with Hutchinson Community College to play basketball.
Simons was a member of an Amateur Athletic Union traveling team based in Garden City this summer.

Marion U.S. Bowling Congress Bowling Association will have a kick-off meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at SherBowl Lanes.
Leagues will be Monday and Wednesday nights. Call (620) 382-2188 for information.

Lucas Larsen of Peabody and Cole Svoboda of Tampa received continuing education scholarships from Marion County Quail Forever at an Aug. 7 meeting in Marion.
The scholarships are named in memory of John F. Reznicek. Reznicek’s wife, Helen, presented the scholarships.

Emily Svoboda, a 2007 graduate of Marion High School, received a doctorate in pharmacy from Creighton University on May 17.
Terry and Mary Svoboda are her parents.

The second meeting of the Marion County Power Ups Thursday was to discuss the potential goals of the group.
The 10 people in attendance at Willy J’s agreed the goals of the group should be to build relationships between young people in the county then to develop projects that would benefit communities.

Gary and Betty Hasenbank of Goessel announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura M. Hasenbank, to Douglas L. Schmidt, son of Karen Sklenar of Hillsboro and Eddie and Anita Schmidt of Durham.
Hasenbank, a graduate of Drury University and Butler County Community College, is a licensed substitute teacher and co-owner of Eagle Eye Art, where she practices graphic design and photography. Schmidt is a truck driver for Sequoyah Trading and Transportation, LLC in Hillsboro. The couple resides in Hillsboro and plan to marry at Marion County Park and Lake in October.

Marion High School class of 1974 will have their 40th reunion in conjunction with Old Settlers’ Day on Sept. 27.
Class members can ride on the float and have lunch at noon in Central Park.

Marion City Library was one of 12 libraries across the state to receive a 3-Star rating from the Library Journal’s 2013 America’s Star Award Libraries.
The award, which is rated from three to five stars, is based on circulation, library visits, Internet usage, and the number of programs and their attendance.